Part 3 - Blue Christmas?

Wolverine had been preparing this snowball for about five minutes. It was solid ice now in his tingling hands. He took careful aim and hit the tree branch above Kurt. Kurt had about five seconds to say, "Ha ha! You missed me..." before most of the rest of the snow on the tree fell on him.

Logan grinned. "Tactics, elf. You need to work on your tactics." He extended a hand to Kurt, who was dramatically pretending to drown in the snow. "So, we still on for the 24th, or did you find another ride this year?"

Kurt's happy demeanor fell away, and he pulled away from Logan. "I don't know," he said flatly. "I don't think I'm going this year."

"Not going? What, you crazy? You always go to church on the 24th." He dropped down beside Kurt and stretched out in the snow.

Kurt wrapped his arms around his legs for comfort. "I know. I go to a Unitarian Universalist church. Fifty miles away. Because it's the only one where I can go without being stoned or 'politely' told to leave." He frowned. "No one out there seems to do what they did in London in the 1800s, 'open their shut-up hearts to each other freely.' Besides, even at the church I get some odd looks, some parents grabbing their kids as I go by, for they only attend at Christmas and don't know I'm a member."

Logan shrugged. "It's still a church. They sing Christmas carols and all that, don't they?"

Kurt's lips twitched gently, but he did not laugh. "Sort of. They change the lyrics some, taking out the more offensive words." He smiled then, sadly. "I always sing the original words. It startles some."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know they were allowed to do that. Next thing you know, they'll be changing the Bible too."

Kurt nodded. "Well, they accept non-Christians, atheists, and mutants. They have no problem changing anything they don't like."

"Huh." Logan thought a moment. "Sounds like that's one church that isn't useless."

Kurt hugged his knees. "They aren't useless, but even there, some people worry about mutants. They also are regularly vandalized."

"Figures. Well, get up." Logan leaped to his feet and waited.

Kurt unfolded and rose from the snow, shaking it from his short fur. "What are we going to do?"

"We're gonna figure out what you're doing for Christmas Eve, elf." Logan started loping toward the mansion, and Kurt leaped along beside him. When they reached the door, Kurt ventured, "Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you do?"

"Hmmm?" Logan opened the door and went in.

Kurt followed. "Well, you drop me off, and then I don't see you until after the party at the minister's house. What do you do during that time?" Kurt's eyes gleamed with interest as he looked down at Logan.

Logan remained silent as the door closed and they finished removing their snow covered gear. Finally, he said, "Maybe I'll tell you later."